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The Eighth Lesson: The End of the Life Work.1039
sympathy for the Master, for some reason. But he found arrayed against
him the solid influence of the Jewish priesthood, whose power must not
be opposed lightly, according to the policy of Rome. Then the priests had
made out a civil case against Jesus, claiming that He had sought to incite a
rebellion and proclaim Himself King of the Jews; that He had created public
disorder; that He had urged the people to refuse to pay taxes to Rome. The
case against Him was weak, and Pilate was at a loss what to do. Then some
one of the priests suggested that as Jesus was a Galilean, He be turned over
for trial to Herod, in whose territory the principal crimes were committed,
and Pilate gladly availed himself of this technical excuse to rid himself of
responsibility in the matter. And so the case was transferred to Herod, who
happened to be in Jerusalem at that time on a visit. To Herod’s palace the
captive was taken, and after suffering indignities and humiliation at the hand
of the tyrant, He was remanded back to Pilate for trial, under Herod’s orders.
Back to Pilate’s court, followed by the crowd, went Jesus. Pilate was
greatly annoyed that Herod should have shifted the responsibility once
more upon his (Pilate’s) court. Then he bethought himself of an expedient.
He took advantage of the Jewish custom, observed by the Roman rulers,
which led to the pardoning of a notorious criminal on the occasion of the
Passover. And so he announced that he would pardon Jesus according to
custom. But from the Jewish authorities came back the answer that they
would not accept Jesus as the subject of the pardon, but demanded that
Barabbas, a celebrated criminal, be pardoned instead of the Nazarene.
Pilate found himself unable to escape the designs of the Jewish priesthood,
and so, yielding in disgust, he pardoned Barabbas, and condemned Jesus
to death. The cries of the mob, incited by the priests, sounded around the
court. “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate appeared before the priests and
the populace, and, washing his hands in a basin, according to the Oriental
custom, he cried to the Jews, “I wash my hands of this man’s blood—upon
you be it!” And the crowd responded with a great shout, “Upon us and our
children be his blood!”